What is Home?
by BookBird1497
Summary: Meet Melina, a girl who was abused by her adoptive stepdad until she ran away one crisp, October morning. She makes her way to Gakuen Academy with her pet Pomeranian, Zip, and meets a few odd characters she'll never, ever forget. Especially a certain Canadian. To hide from her father, she disguises herself as a boy. How can she keep it a secret from the school? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

Welcome, one and all! I am Bookie, and this is my Hetalia fanfiction with my OC, Melina. Please enjoy!

I sprinted through the forest, ignoring the low-hanging pine branches that whipped at my face and arms without mercy. A small bag with only a change of clothes, my iPod Touch, a Swiss army knife, and the $87 dollars I'd saved up I clutched desperately in one hand. I could hear Martin, my father, screaming at me from the house as I ran.

"I'll get you, Melina! You can't hide forever! I will find you!"

I ignored his threats and pumped my legs even faster. My cheek hurt from where he'd slapped me, as did my shoulder where he'd cut me with a kitchen knife. It only bled a little, but the stain on my shirt and hoodie would be irremovable, not to mention the rips in the fabric.

A short bark, more like a yip, made me pause and look behind me. Zip, my blond Pomeranian, came racing after me, unwilling to be left behind. I smiled and scooped him up in both arms, planting a quick kiss on the top of his head before continuing on with my mad dash to nowhere. Anywhere as better than where he was.

I stopped after some time, setting Zip down and falling to my knees, panting hard. My legs slid out from under me and made an "M", my hands curled into fists on my thighs. Zip put his front paws on my hands and licked my arm comfortingly.

Grinning, I swept him up into a hug. "We did it, boy. We finally got away," I breathed into the back of his neck. Zip tried to lick my shoulder wound, but I set him down quickly. "No, boy. I'll take care of it."

After slipping my hoodie and shirt off (hey, no one was around to see me), I took a look at the gash. It was maybe two inches long, thin, and bleeding a bit more than I was comfortable with. Cursing Martin, I used my knife to cut a strip off the hem of my dark green T-shirt. Wrapping the makeshift bandage under my armpit and over the cut, as well as tying it off with my teeth and one hand, proved to not be too difficult.

When I was finished I put my clothing back on and stood, shaky from fatigue at first. Zip came back from relieving himself and nudged my pack with his nose.

"Right, let's not forget this," I said, picking it up by one strap and slinging it over my good shoulder. He followed me into town, where we got on a bus and rode to the next town over.

For the next three days that's what we did, going from town to city until I felt like I could breathe freely. I knew Martin would make good on his threat, by there was no way I'd make it easy for him. During those three days, I bought Ace bandages, cut my long gold/red/brown hair into a short boy's cut, and practiced imitating a teenage boy's voice to complete the disguise. I didn't want to be easily recognized if he came after me, right?

It was on day four of "My Great Adventure" (note the sarcasm) that I noticed the looks I was receiving from people, like they were about to call child services on me. Trying not to panic, I stopped a couple girls on a street corner who were wearing matching school uniforms and asked them what school they were from.

"Why, do you want to enroll?" the busty one with short gray-blond hair and a headband inquired.

"Yes," I answered. "That is, if they have a scholarship program, because I'm tight on funds. Well, my family is, I mean."

"We go to Gakuen High, and there is a program like that. It's two blocks that way," she said, pointing me in the right direction.

"Thanks a lot!" I said gratefully before going that way.

Why would I want to enroll in some private school or whatever? So I could claim to have a place to stay, for starters. Food, shelter, showers, other kids my age, even education! I could enroll as a boy and keep my identity a secret while hiding from Martin. Maybe I could even find a part-time job and earn money for my own place...

I was so lost in my thoughts that I nearly went right past the gates of what could only be Gakuen. It was big, ornate, and the buildings on the campus looked more like a fancy college than a school for teenagers. Hesitantly, I went through the gates and wandered in the direction I hoped the main office was in. After searching hopelessly with no results, I saw two boys about my age arguing with each other and strolled over, my bag on my good shoulder and Zip sleeping inside. They didn't notice I was there as I walked closer.

"... don't care how good of an idea you think it is! There is no such thing as an engine that can run on "pure awesomeness"! You've been hanging out with that Gilbert bloke a bit too much lately," the shorter blond with green eyes like mine and very bushy eyebrows shouted, clearly fed up, in a British-accented voice.

The taller on me wih sky-blue eyes, glasses, a cowlick that stood straight up where his light brown hair parted, and a muscular build crossed his arms over his brown jacket. "How do you know? Have you ever even looked into it? Awesomeness could save the world someday, and when it does you'll have to admit I was right and you were wrong." He looked confident, and I suppressed a small laugh. Did he really think that would work?

The British boy looked pissed, but gained control of his emotions. "Fine, but I'll only say that if this... "awesome engine"... actually saves the world."

"Works for me, bro."

"I've got a question?" I said to gain their attention, and they both turned towards me. The blue-eyed boy stuffed his hands in his pants pockets while the green-eyed boy balled his fists at his sides like he was resisting the urge to strangle his friend.

"Oh hey, dude. What's your question?"

I resisted the urge to blush; they both were insanely good-looking. No, Melina, no blushing. You're Malcolm now, and he doesn't blush when cute boys talk to him. "Can you tell me where the main office is?"

"Sure thing, dude!" The boy with glasses launched into a series of directions that I just couldn't follow, and question marks floated above my head.

"You git, you completely lost him," the British boy said harshly before turning to me with a kinder expression. "My name is Arthur, and this is Alfred. How about we just show you the way instead?"

I nodded. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'm Malcolm, by the way."

We started talking together, just random stuff to get to know each other. I found out that Arthur was a whiz at literature, a horrible cook, and believed that magical creatures exist. Alfred loved hamburgers and was obsessed with being the hero (hence the "world-saving energy source").

"You know, dude, you kinds look like a girl," Alfred commented tactlessly.

"You moron, be nice!" Arthur chastised, smacking him on the back of the head.

I laughed and shook my head. "No, it's fine. I get that a lot, no worries." 'Please buy it!'

My pack started to quiver, and I put a hand on it to calm Zip down. He wouldn't settle, and Al and Arthur gave me odd looks. Groaning and my misfortune, I flipped the top down and Zip's head shot out. He was panting hard, gasping for air.

I smacked my forehead in exasperation. "I forgot to leave the top down! Sorry, boy." I scratched him behind the ears, but froze when I remembered Al and Arthur.

"Um, this is Zip," I said, turning and showing them my dog.

Alfred got a squee face and begged me to let him hold Zip. "Uh, sure," I replied, and Zip was lifted out of the bag and held in Alfred's arms while being petted lovingly.

"You do know pets are allowed here, right?" Arthur asked as he held a hand out for Zip to smell.

I blinked at him, and then sighed in relief. "That's good to know."

"You brought a dog here without knowing the rules?" he asked incredulously.

"Dude, that's so awesome! Screw rules!" Al cheered, and we high-fived, both of us laughing.

"Yeah, sorry. Zip goes everywhere with me," I explained.

Arthur stopped walking, announcing "We're here." A set of double doors stood by us, ornate and polished oak. Al gave Zip one last squeeze and gave him back to me.

"Thanks a lot, guys. Maybe I'll see you around?" I said hopefully.

"Yeah, dude! Definitely!" Alfred said as he flashed a heroic thumbs-up and a grin to match.

"I look forward to it," Arthur said, ever the gentleman.

They left me to go in, waving as they rounded the corner. I waved back and turned to the doors, rolling my shoulders. Putting a hand on the left door, I wondered if I actually knew what I was doing and hoped that whatever madness was driving me to do this would stay until I couldn't back out. 'I must be out of my mind' I thought before I pushed the door open.

Please review! I LOOOVE reviews! =^_^= If you do I'll give you a virtual cookie!


	2. Chapter 2

I am so grateful for all the great reviews asking for more, but I especially appreciate the awesome review from my sissie, Echo M. Blake. WUVS, SISSIE~!

Now, on to the second chapter~!

The oak door swung open with barely a sound, although the slight sound it did make brought the receptionist's eyes away from her computer screen and to my face. "Hello there. How can I help you?" She had a very comforting, grandmotherly voice and appearance.

"Yes, I'd like to enroll here and apply for a scholarship," I said as I walked up to her desk. "My family is low on money and can't afford to pay any tuition."

"Oh! Well, can I ask your name and some other basic information for the records? We accept students fairly easily here at Gakuen, you see."

I nodded eagerly, joyous at my good fortune. "I'm Malcolm Middleton, I'm fifteen, my birthday is July 2nd..." I answered all her questions about both myself and Zip, since animals were allowed here (YES!).

After that, she gave me a test and utensils to take it with and told me to take my time. She explained that the better of a score I got the better of a scholarship I would receive. With that lovely little tidbit of "no pressure" knowledge, I sat on a chair and took the test on a clipboard on my knee.

~~ 30-ish minutes later

I went back up to the receptionist, Mrs. Teresa, and handed her back my test. "I finished, Mrs. Teresa."

She nodded and congratulated me on finishing before pulling out an answer sheet and beginning to grade my test. I sat back in my chair, putting Zip on my lap and petting his fluffy backside.

Maybe five minutes later, Mrs. Teresa looked up, setting down her pen and beckoning me over. I stood and walked over, leaving Zip on the chair with my middle finger and index fingers of one hand crossed for luck.

She beamed at me and showed me my score. "97, congratualtions! You qualify for the full scholarship, Mr. Middleton."

I raised a fist to the sky in victory. "Yes!"

"Now if you'll follow me, Mr. Middleton, I'll show you to thedressing room for your uniform."

I froze for a split second. F-Fitting room? "O-Okay."

When we got there, she left me alone aftertelling me what the standard amount of articles of clothing was. The room was filled with rows of matching or similar uniforms, the majority being the female uniform although there were enough of the boy's uniform to be adequate.

I browsed the boy's racks in the smaller sizes, choosing three pairs of plaid pants, a jacket, two swaetervests (one white, the other tan), and four dress shirts with two ties. I had to try on a couple pairs of men's shoes to find the right fit, but I managed it in the end. Mrs. Teresa recorder my choices and then left to let me change in peace, handing me a collar with the school crest for Zip before shutting the door again.

I reemerged, looking even more like a boy than I had when I'd gone in.

"Very smart," she said appraisingly, handing me a list of my classes, a map of the school, and my dorm key. "Good luck, Malcolm."

I thanked her kindly and left to go find my dorm, calling Zip after me. After consulting the map countless times, I finally gave up trying to navigate the halls and went to go find someone for directions (am I the only one detecting a pattern here?). I noticed a boy with wavy, dirty blond hair, glasses, and a stuffed polar bear leaning with his back against a wall. He was staring off into space, probably because there was no one else around but me.

Almost shyly, I approached him. "Hi," I said brightly.

He blinked at me in surprise. "Y-You can see me?" he asked really quietly as he got off the wall.

I looked at him in confusion. "Er, yeah? You're not invisible." I adopted a jokingly suspicious expression. "Or are you?"

He looked about ready to cry from happiness or hug me, maybe both. "No one ever notices me, so I might as well be invisible. I'm Matthew, by the way."

"I'm Malcolm Middleton. It's nice to meet you, Matthew," I answered. He held out a hand and I shook it. 'Gosh, he's really cute, too.' "Do you think you could show me where the dorms are? I can't read this map to save my life," I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment.

"Sure I can. What's the number?"

I pulled my key from my pocket and looked at the keychain with the number, reading it aloud. "216."

"Really? That's my dorm!" Even though he exclaimed it, he was extremely quiet, although I still heard him just fine.

"No kidding? We're roommates, then?"

"Looks like it."

I did a dance for joy inside. I was bunking with a super cute, super nice boy my age! Score!

Zip barked shortly and ran in a circle around Matthew's legs, intrigued by the bear he was holding. The bear... looked down and asked Zip who he was? What the -beep-?

"I-Is your dog nice?" Matthew asked timidly.

I smiled and picked up my Pomeranian, calming him down in my arms. "Zip here wouldn't even dream of hurting anyone. You can pet him," I said. "He'll be your best friend if you do. He is to anyone who pets him."

Matthew reached a hesitant hand out for Zip to sniff, which he did before licking it and putting his chin there like he couldn't wait for attention. Matthew smiled and scratched Zip behind the ears, his favorite place to be petted.

We started toward our dorm room, which was in a building across campus, apparently. Matthew told me about the school and what classes were the best, in his opinion. As it turns our, we had all of our classes together, something both of us were happy about.

We passed through a courtyard with some kids playing a game of football and went around a couple buildings before coming to one of the biggest on the campus. Both sides seemed to be all windows, and it was just as fancy as the others around Gakuen.

"Here we are," Matthew announced, stepping inside with me following close behind. "Girls are on the top floor and boys are on the bottom three," he added.

"Are there really that few girls to boys?" I asked, coming up beside him.

"Strangely, there are only a handful of girls," he said, agreeing that it was odd.

We walked up the wide stairs to the second floor and found our dorm, the brass '216' on the door gleaming professionally. Matthew unlocked the door with his matching key and went in. I set Zip down and followed like a lost puppy (technically, I sorta was after running away from home).

There were two beds on opposite sides of the room, a wide desk with two spinning chairs on the far wall, under the equally wide window, and two small closets in the two corners. Matthew's side was on the right, and his most common choice of decoration was the Canadian flag; his pillowcase and bedspread, a flag on the wall, and a map of North America with the Canadian borders outlined in red next to the flag. Neat!

I set my bag down on the empty bed on the left and put my other uniform articles in my closet while Zip explored the room. He sniffed around my bed excitedly before going to Matthew's side to see what was worth smelling over there.

"So, what do you think?" Matthew asked softly.

I smiled while putting a pair of pants on a hanger. "About the room? It's awesome." 'Better than where I have been sleeping lately.'

"So," I said once I was finished. "What do you normally do around now?"

He glanced at the wall clock. "Dinner's just starting. Are you hungry?"

I nodded enthusiastically, and we left after I told Zip to behave himself while I was gone. For some odd reason, I had butterflies hyped up on Mountain Dew or something flying around my stomach. 'Ah, it's probably nothing' I thought as the door closed and I followed Matthew back down the stairs to the first floor.

YAAAY Second chapter~! Please comment and vote, because comments and votes are love. Don't you think the world could use a little more love?

Next update should be soon, depending on how things go. Let's cross our fingers~!


	3. Chapter 3

Can we spell MOTIVATION? Alright, M-O- naw I'm just kidding.

Now, on to Chapter Three~!

I did my best to memorize the way from the dorms to the cafeteria, and I thought I had it down by the time I got there. It was crowded with nearly all boys and the occasional girl, and somewhat noisy from all the chatter. Matthew and I got in line for food together. They were serving hamburgers, one of my favorites, although there were a few other choices, too.

"I wonder how many of these Alfred is going to get," Matthew wondered as we claimed a table outdoors, where it was colder but quieter.

"Hey, I met a guy named Alfred earlier today," I told him as I dumped ketchup and mustard on my burger.

"Did he look like me?"

I mentally compared Matthew with an image of Alfred and was shocked I didn't realize it earlier. "Yeah, he _does _look a lot like you. Are you two related?"

"We're basically brothers, but he never remembers me, just like _everybody_ else." He looked so sad, I wanted to hug him. I didn't, though, because that's not something Malcolm would do; Melina, yes. Malcolm, nope!

I patted his shoulder. "You should still count yourself lucky. I wish _I_ had siblings. But what do you mean, _basically_ brothers? Wouldn't you be brothers or not?"

He was about to answer when he was drowned out by a loud, familiar voice. "Hey, Malcolm dude!" Alfred _sat_ on Matthew and plunked his tray down, piled high with what could have been twenty hamburgers. "You got in, sa-WEET!"

I jumped, not expecting him to pop in like that. "A-Alfred, you just sat on Matthew!" I exclaimed, pulling him up by the arm and freeing my squished roommate.

"Ah, dude! Sorry 'bout that, Mattie, I didn't see you there," Alfred apologized, sitting on my other side. Arthur walked over and sat across the table, rolling his eyes.

"You sat on your brother _again_?"

"I said sorry..."

"It's okay," Matthew whispered. "I'm used to it by now."

I snorted. "That's depressing. How can you say that?"

Matthew just shrugged and continued eating like nothing had happened.

"So, you made it in," Arthur said conversationally.

I grinned at him. "Yeah, and the test wasn't really that hard, either. Thank goodness for that, too." I glanced at Al, who was stuffing his face at an inhuman pace (hey, that rhymed!). "Aren't you afraid of _choking_, Al?"

He shook his head and paused in his gorging. "I've never choked before." He started eating again, popping in a burger like it was a single bite.

I just shrugged and took a large bite, nearly moaning at the taste. You would, too, if you'd been living off of nothing but water and what you could buy cheaply.

"Bloody American food..." Arthur mumbled as he eyed his burger, disgusted.

"Are you gonna eat that?" I asked, and he handed it to me readily.

"Be my guest."

A creepy laugh sounded, and all three boys around me got annoyed/angry looks. I shot Matthew a confused glance, and he replied in his quiet voice, "Francis."

"'Ello!" a student with shoulder-length blond hair and a bit of stubble on his chin called as he glided over. His accent was distinctively French. "We 'ave a new student, I see!"

"What the hell do you want, bloody Frog?" Arthur groaned.

"Oh, nozhing, Arthur. I just wanted to introduce myself to 'im," Francis said, winking at me before shaking my hand. "Francis Bonnefoy. And you?"

"Malcolm Middleton, nice to meet you."

"No, zhe pleasure's all mine. Say, per'aps you would care to join my friends and I sometime? It's important to get into zhe right crowds early on, you know." He glanced pointedly at Al and Arthur, not noticing Matthew at all.

"Well, not at the moment, but I'll keep your offer in mind," I told him, thinking 'HA! Fat chance.'

"Well, alright. Farewell, ma cheri!" Francis went back inside to rejoin his friends, leaving the four of us alone.

"Dude, you weren't _serious_ about hanging out with him, right?" Al asked worriedly, actually pausing in his eating to speak clearly.

I shook my head. "_Heck_ no. He's not exactly the type of person I'd hang out with willingly."

They all looked relieved. "That's good, because he swings either way and isn't shy about anything," Arthur told me, and I gaped.

"Oh, god," I mumbled. "I made the right choice, apparently."

"Good thing, too," Matthew said, and I nodded at him in _complete_ agreement.

A thought struck me, making my eyes go wide and me nearly drop my burger. "Did... Did he just call me his _girl_?"

Matthew, Arthur, and Al all laughed at my expression.

"Don't worry, dude. He calls a lot of people that, even guys," Al explained, only setting my fears to resy a little.

'What if he _knew_? Could he have seen through my disguise somehow?' I thought worriedly.

"Malcolm? You seem kinda nervous," Matthew whispered, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I smiled and shook my head. "Nah, I'm fine. No worries."

Okay~! When I was typing this, I was surprised when I came to the end because I thought it was longer than this! Oh well. You got what you asked for! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**WOW. I am thoroughly amazed. You guys are the BEST~! I'll try to update as often as I can. See, I try to have at least a couple chapters as a cushion between where I am in posting and writing, so-**

**America: Dude, I think they get it.**

**Bookie: :P Oh whatever. *waves hamburger in air* See the burger? Go get it! *throws it, America chases it into the sunset* **

**XD Okay, that's enough of my ranting! Now it's gonna get gooood~**

* * *

Al and Arthur left earlier than Matthew and I, explaining that they needed to talk to a teacher for some obscure reason. Matthew walked me back to the dorms to make sure I got there safely (-_-') and then left to also talk to someone, taking Kumajirou with him. Do you have _any_ idea how strange it is to have a bear tell you its name? Weirdest. Thing. Ever.

I breathed a sighof relief when he was gone, dropping my male voice. "Thank goodness. I was starting to worry about losing my voice if I had to keep that up too much longer," I said to Zip, who lounged on my bed sleepily. "Just lay there." He did. "Good dog."

I put a hand up to my hair and winced at how greasy my fingers came away. 'I need a shower... And how's that cut doing?' I shed my jacket and shirt, leaving me in just the bandages keeping my chest flat (and my pants and all that, don't forget).

The cut had scabbed over, but somehow got infected while I'd been living on the streets. It was sore and angry-looking, and I knew I should get it treated, but with what? Going to the nurse's office was out of the question, because I'd get found out and probably _kicked_ out. I was _never_ going back to him, not even if you held a gun to my head. Maybe there's a first aid kit somewhere in here? It seemed like a good thing to have in case you got, say, a paper cut while doing homework.

I got up to go search, checking in the closets first. It was just my luck to have a quieter-than-a-mouse roommate, because when I turned around after coming up short, Matthew stood in the doorway, gaping and staring. I froze midstride and promptly tripped, falling on my face and jarring my shoulder.

"Fudge... a duck," I groaned, clutching it painfully. I heard the door shut and looked up to see Matthew walk over and kneel next to me, still shocked.

"Your name... isn't Malcolm, is it?" he said.

I sighed and smacked my forehead against the floor, groaning "I'm doomed."

So, let me get this straight. You're not Malcolm Middleton, but Melina Andrews, and you ran away from your father because he drank too much and was abusive," Matthew said as he stuck the bandaid over my now-bleeding cut. "Four days ago?"

I nodded, wincing. "Yes, and I enrolled here as a boy so it'd be harder for him to find me. I was traveling by bus to get as far away from him as possible, and I found this school by accident. It seemes like my best chance, even if it was risky, but now..." I trailed off, in complete despair over the inevitable. I'd get kicked out, and he'd find me for sure.

"... won't tell, I promise," I barely heard Matthew say over my own thoughts.

My eyes shot to his in surprise. "What did you just say?"

He smiled warmly. "I won't tell anyone. Besides, no one pays attention to what I have to say, anyway. I'll help you keep your secret, Melina."

"R... _Really_?" Matthew nodded. "Thank you so much!" I couldn't help but cry out as I hugged him around the shoulders.I think he might have blushed a little as he patted my back awkwardly.

"Y-You're welcome."

I pulled away from him and got off of my bed, where he'd bade me sitso he could fetch the first aid kit from our bathroom (I failed to notice it earlier, strangely. Usually I'm very observant) and fix me up. It was gross (and painful) to reopen the cut so the anitbiotic cream could get in, but I was confident it would heal cleanly now.

"Thanks for helping my shoulder, Matthew. Where'd you get good with medicine?"

"Try growing up with Alfred. He'd always go off on some adventure and come home with scraped knees or palms, and if Arthur wasn't around then I'd clean him up," he chuckled softly.

"Ah. It's funny, but I kinda did the same thing. Going off on adventures, I mean," I said, thinking back. "I used to believe in fairies and other magical creatures, and I'd go play in the woods around the house all day long, especially when _he_ got into a drunken rage and wouldn't stop screaming at me."

Matthew looked at me with a sad expression. "You've had a rough childhood."

I nodded in agreement before shrugging it off. "It's in the past now, so I'm just going to make a fresh start here and pray every night that he doesn't find me."

"You _could_ go to the police."

Ishook my head. "I'd like to put him away, but I'm not really his daughter and nothing would get done because the police would be investigating _me_."

Matthew cocked his head to one side in confusion as he sat on his own bed, Kuamjirou crawling into his lap. "Not his daughter? Were you adopted?"

"Not in a legal sense, but yeah. I asked him once where I came from, and he told me that he and his wife, Selena, were hiking one day and found me, asleep on the trail. I looked maybe two years old and had a little white dress with a red bow at the throat. Or so he said. I haven't decided whether to believe him or not because he was drunk at the time."

He beamed suddenly. "I had a feeling you were like us."

I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

Matthew picked up his pillow and hugged it because Kumajirou was now playing on the floor with Zip. "It all adds up. You finding this place, getting in, _and_ your past. You must be a country."

"Be a _what_?"

"A country. See, everyone attending this school is like the personification of a country from around the world. We fight their wars one-on-one with the personification of the country we're at war with, and go through the hardships like they were happening to us personally."

I just stared, so he continued.

"If you think about it, nothing could be more true. The test to get into Gakuen is too difficult for a normal person to ace like you must have, and if you _found_ this place, then maybe it wasn't by accident."

I glanced down at his pillowcase and back to his face. "You're Canada, then?"

Matthew nodded. "You see why no one notices me, or mistakes me for Alfred?"

"Is Al... America?" He nodded. "Then Arthur must be... England! Because of the accent. And Francis is France, no doubt." Matthew nodded again with a little smirk at that last comment. "But then... who am I?"

Canada shrugged. "I wish I knew. As far as we know, all the countries are known, but there has to be some country you could be. All the countries start out looking like little kids in white dresses, so that's why your past fits." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe you're a country that was just founded, or hardly noticed like I am!"

I tried not to show it, but I was a little shaken. It seemed... _right_, somehow. A country? Me? I... I think so!

"Why does this seem... right?" I wondered with a hand to my chin.

Matthew smiled. "Because you _are_ a country, and it's the truth."

* * *

**Alright, there you go! She was bound to get found out eventually... And WHAT COUNTRY IS SHE?! The fans are DYING to know!**

***snicker* poor dying fans, that won't be found out until ****_much_**** later in the story... **

**XD Okay that should tide you over for a while! Now LET ME WRITE SOME! ;) Comments are most appreciated! WUVS~! = = **


	5. Chapter 5

YEAH, baby! I'm on a roll with this story! I LOVE YOU AAAAALLL!

* * *

Because I had none of my own, Matthew let me borrow a plain T-shirt to sleep in, although it went about halfway down my thighs because of our height difference (I was the same height as England). I wore that and my boxers over my underwear (yes, I wear boxers. Hey, don't judge! They're really comfy!) to bed. I lay on my side with Zip under one arm, saying a promised prayer in my mind.

'Please, _please_ don't let him find me. I don't want to go back, not when I'm so close to freedom. _Please_...'

I nodded off and slipped into a really weird dream, although why I had it was beyond me.

In it, I was wearing a white dress and my hands looked like a small child's. I felt tiny, based on how low to the ground I was. There were two people, no three, and we were outside in a small picnicking area or something along those lines. There was no picnic, though. Instead, the three people were arguing. They looked like older versions of Matthew, Alfred, and Arthur, and they were dressed differently, not in their school uniforms (of _course_ not, they're adults! What am I thinking...).

"I don't know why she isn't growing as fast as all the others, _okay_? I swear I'm not depriving her!" Alfred said defensively.

"She could just be a late-bloomer," Matthew tried to say, but neither man heard him.

"She's _ years old, this is ridiculous!" Arthur sighed with a hand over his eyes tiredly.

'Hey, why did that part not come through? I couldn't hear it! How old am I? What's going on with this dream?' I thought.

Bored, I picked at the hem of my dress before going over to Matthew and tugging on the bottom of his whitish-tan coat, which was about as high as I could reach. He knelt down with Kumajirou in his arms and asked me "What is it, _?"

'Again! He was saying my name! What's my name!?'

"I'm bored, and they're not making any sense," I pouted, kicking a rock with my bare foot. "Can we do something?"

"_, I've told you not to talk to things that aren't really there," Al said to me.

'Oh, come _on_...'

I crossed my tiny arms over my chest and faced him with a stubborn expression. "I'm _not_, Mattie's right here! Why can't you see him?"

"Who?" Al and Arthur asked in unison, and "Mattie" sighed.

Nearly on the verge of frustrated tears, I jumped into Matthew's arms and stole his glasses, putting them on. Grinning, I hugged him around his chest, and Alfred and Arthur's mouths dropped open when they finally saw Matthew.

"Dude, how long have you been here?" Alfred asked his brother.

"A-All day..." He turned to me and asked for his glasses back. I didn't want to because it was cool how blurry the world got, but I gave them to him. "Thank you, _."

'-Insert growl of frustration-'

A bird -a Western Meadowlark- flew overhead, singing a gorgeous melody. I scrambled out of Mattie's arms and ran a short ways after it, copying its song perfectly with a whistle of my own. You see, I have this ability to mimic sounds and voices uncannily, like Gazzy from Maximum Ride. The bird detoured and landed on the ground nearby, so I sat and whistled again with an outstretched hand. It hopped closer until it was just a hair away from my middle finger, and then it alighted in my palm. I giggled and brought her closer to my body, stroking her feathery back and wings.

"It's so strange..." Arthur said mostly to himself. Suddenly I was viewing all of this in third person, like a ghost or something.

"What is?" Al asked, following his line of sight to me, who was laughing as the bird fluttered to the top of my head and chirped.

"How one of your _ can be so in tune with nature," Arthur smirked, shaking his head. "She's gentle and sweet and observant and listens to everything and-" America cut him off with an irritated look coupled with a few irk marks.

"Well, you can't deny that she is," England said with a shrug. "And she notices Canada, too."

"Who?" America asked, and England, Canada, Little Me and I and all facepalmed simultaneously.

"My point exactly." Britain walked over to chibi me and and knelt next to her, looking her over like he was looking for something "_, do you feel strange in any way?"

"No, I'm okay," she said as she started to scoop dirt and rocks into a small mound. "Do you feel strange in any way?"

He seemed taken aback by my question, but laughed just the same. "No, I'm just fine. So, tell me, have you made any friends recently?"

Little Me perked at the mention of new friends. "Yeah! Meadow, just now-" she gestured to the bird still standing on her head "- and last week I followed a trail of Will-O'-The-Wisps to this grove that had a waterfall and a river and tons of pretty trees all along the banks! I saw a bunch of deer and found a fox den with some little kits! And you know what? The mother let me curl up with them when it started raining really hard! I told Al about it, but he didn't believe me..."

"I never said that!" America protested.

"Well, no, but you did blame Iggy for me "seeing things" and ranted about "Iggy Syndrome"." Little Me went back to her "sculpting".

'You git, you blamed me for something like that? And called it Iggy Syndrome?" Britain said angrily, standing and smacking America on the back of the head. "You bloody wanker! Magical creatures like wisps do exist, I'll have you know!"

"Owww..." America whined, rubbing where he'd been hit. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Little Me just ignored the two adults (and the fact that she was getting her dress dirty) and kept amusing herself. Canada crouched down and started playing with her, forming a little house out of the soil and rocks. They used a leaf as a flag and smiled that closed-eye smile at each other right before the lucid dream ended with an alarm clock beeping.

I shot straight up in bed, startling Zip and making myself dizzy from getting up so fast. Matthew crawled out of bed and shut off the alarm, clad in just boxers and with bedhead and no glasses. I blushed ever-so-slightly and looked away, mumbling a "Good morning" before going to the bathroom to dress.

What was that dream all about? Who am I?

* * *

YAAY~! I got it typed!

Originally, the story Little Melina tells England doesn't involve Will-O'-The-Wisps, but if I'd stuck with the original way then it would have become obvious who she was... -_-'

:D But! I like it! And I hope you all do too! So! Please comment and vote and maybe fan if you would like? Thank you~!

Next chapter may be up soon, but I'm going to be writing some so I can only hope... But don't get depressed! It'll be there without too long of a wait!


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, I really never thought this story would be such a hit with you guys. I so appreciate all that you guys have asked me and that you all are yelling at me to update. Now, enough rambling! On to this lovely chapter I like to call: 6~! XD

It was my first day of classes, so of course I was a little nervous! Who wouldn't be?

Matthew must have noticed my anxious expression and fidgeting, because he patted my shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "We have all the same classes, right? Don't worry, it'll be fine."

I took a deep breath, released it, and squared my shoulders firmly. "You're right, I shouldn't be so worked up over nothing."

As we walked through the halls to our first class -Science- I noticed some students whispering and giving me pointed looks. 'It's probably just because I'm the new kid' I thought as I shook off my paranoia. 'Everyone goes through this sort of thing, right?'

When class started, the teacher asked me to stand at the front of the class and introduce myself. Reluctantly, I faced everyone and told them a little about myself. Emphasis on little.

"Hi, my name's Malcolm Middleton, and I'm the new kid here. Uhm, I really don't have many things I dislike, and... I have a pet Pomeranian named Zip. He was my mom's before she passed away many years ago."

"Thank you, Malcolm. Does anyone have any questions for Malcolm?" the teacher, Mrs. Crayven, asked, addressing the class.

A boy with reddish-brown hair, a curl on his left side down by his ear, and closed eyes raised his hand. "Vee~ I've-a got one!" His Italian accent was very prominent, I noticed.

"Go ahead, Feliciano."

"How do you feel about pasta?"

That was surprising. "How do I feel about pasta?" I echoed.

"Si~!"

I smiled. "It's one of my favorite things to eat, actually. It's easy to make and delicious!"

Feliciano gasped. "Get out of the town! Ilove pasta, too!" He smiled really wide, and I couldn't help but smile back. Was his personality contagious or something? Not that that's a bad thing, of course.

A few more random questions were asked, including "You will become one with Mother Russia, da?" from a tall kid named Ivan. I politely turned him down, thinking "WTH?" Then class truly started after I was given my seat next to a boy who introduced himself politely as Kiku Honda, a.k.a Japan.

"So, you're like the expert on all things anime, then?" I asked quietly.

"Werr, I suppose you could put it rike that," he replied, also quietly so Mrs. Crayven wouldn't catch us.

"That's awesome. I really like anime. And Vocaloid and other Japanese techno singers."

"Rearry? What is your favorite song?"

"Definitely Bad Apple, because it's great in both Japanese and English. Magnet, Nostalogic, the list goes on and on."

"Interesting. Not many men would admit they rike those things." Oh snap. "I think we could become friends, Marcolm-san."

Phew! Crisis averted, captain. "Sure, I'd like that. I only know a couple people so far, so this is great."

"Perhaps I could introduce you to my other friends after crass?"

I nodded. "Yeah, sure thing."

~After class

"Germany-san! Itary-san!" Japan called to his friends who were waiting for him in the hall. "I'd rike you both to meet Marcolm-san."

It was the boy who asked me about pasta and a tall boy with neat blond hair and pale blue eyes.

"Vee~! Hello again, Malcolm!" Italy said sunnily.

"I'm Germany, a pleasure," his friend said, and we shook hands.

"Nice to meet you both!" I said brightly.

"Vhat country are you?"

"Oh! Well, you see I don't know," I admitted, and that obviouly shocked them, judging by their expressions.

"Wha~at? You mean, you don't know?" Italy asked in surprise.

"But zhen, vhat are you doing here?" Germany asked.

"Well, I actually found this school by accident and enrolled so I could be safe from someone who's after me. A~and Matthew told me I couldn't have enrolled without being a country, but I don't know which one I am yet."

"Vee~ That's-a shocking! We'll help you figure out who you are if you'd like, Malcolm!" Italy decided, and I beamed at him.

"Thanks, Italy, that means a lot to me." I glanced at my schedule. "Do any of you have Home Economics next period?"

"Si, I do~!"

"Hai, as do I."

"Nein."

"Would you mind showing me where that is? I lost Matthew somehow," I asked Japan and Italy.

"Si! No problemo!" I walked off with them after saying goodbye to Germany. "I think we're making pasta today, vee~!"

"Ooooooh, sweet!" I said happily.

As it turned out, we made Spanish food, churros and enchiladas. Spain got the highest grade with his partners France and Romano (South Italy, Italy told me. He and Romano are brothers), of course, but I was coincidentally paired with Japan and Italy and we did well, too. I must admit, the three of us bonded while working on making the food. While the enchiladas were cooking, we ran out of cinnamon and I went to the next table over to borrow some. It was America, England, and Canada! America and England were arguing while Canada desperately tried to save their grade.

"Hey, guys! Quit making Canada do all the work!" I said to the two bickering boys before turning to the Canadian. "Can we borrow your cinnamon?"

"Thanks, and go ahead," he said, handing it to me before going back to his work. Grumblingly, America and England put their argument aside to assist him, and I went back to my group to deliver the much-needed spice.

"Aaah, grazie, fratello!" Italy said as he took it from me and lavishly spread it over the shaped dough. I gave it back to Canada and then re-returned to my group (am I over-explaining this?) to pull out the done enchiladas.

"Oooh, these smell great!" I said as I pulled off my oven mitts.

"I agree, and I'm not very experienced in Spanish foods," Japan said. "It turned out werr, thanks to you and Itary-san."

"Veee~!" Italy purred as he slid the churros into the oven.

~3rd Period

Oh crap oh no oh snap oh sh!t oh bollocks oh cazzo dios mio! I am such an idiot! I completely forgot the fact that I would have to dress down in the boys' locker room! With boys! And they would see I'm a girl and they'd tell and I'd get kicked out and Martin would come and drag me back and oh NOOOOOO!

The gym teacher gave me my locker number and PE uniform just before class began, so I had lots of time to get changed and everything. Oh joy. I found Matthew just before the bell would ring and asked him for help.

"There's a curtained-off shower that you could use," he said after making sure no one was around to overhear (not that many people actually hear him...). "Make something up that'll give you the excuse to change in private, like scars or something."

I nodded and took a calming breath. "Okay, this'll work. Boy, what would I do without you, Matt?" I said, then more quietly "If it wasn't unmanly, I would hug you right now."

He smiled in amusement. "It's not a problem, Malcolm. I'm happy to help."

"Yo, Malcolm dude! Awesome, we're in this class together, brah!" Al shouted as he ran over.

"Hey, Al!" I greeted him just before he started to literally drag me to the locker room. "Ah! What are you doing?"

"Class is gonna start in like two seconds, so let's go!"

To my surprise, no one really gave me any crap because I changed behind the curtain. Al asked me about it during warm-ups, but I hastily mumbled something about scars I didn't want people to see and he bought it easily enough. There wasn't much to tell about the rest of PE other than Alfred gets extremely competitive during dodgeball and he's, like, inhumanly strong. Oh, and Feliciano gets freaked out when a ball flies too close to him. I was pretty epic at dodging (and catching a little) because I envisioned them as ordinary household objects and that Martin was throwing them. I know that sounds depressing, but it worked, so oh well.

~4th Period, Ancient History

Thank goodness we had a lively teacher for this class, or else it would have been sooo boring to sit through. Mr. Crayven (husband to my science teacher) tried to give me Matthew's seat, which made him depressed and me a little angry (though I didn't show it).

"Sorry, Mr. Crayven, but my friend is already sitting in that desk," I said as politely as I could manage. "Could I sit next to him instead?"

The teacher just waved me over to ther seat, obviously not caring enough to bother with any elaborate planning. I rushed to the desk and sat down, unpacking my things like everyone else in the class.

"H-How come you requested to sit with me?" Matthew asked shyly, and I looked at him over my shoulder while extracting a pencil from my bag on the floor.

"Whattaya mean? A, you're my friend, and B, you looked lonely back here." I shot him a friendly smile, making him blush just a little.

About halfway through the hour Kumajirou stretched out across both our laps and fell asleep, which I found extremely cute of him. By the end of Mr. Crayven's explanation for our homework my right leg was asleep from the little bear's head on it for so long, and my foot had pins and needles.

And that's basically the highlight of 4th period.

~Lunch

It was amazing how many different types of foods there were to choose from, and from all over the world, too! Spanish, French, Italian, American, German, you name it! It made sense, though, since the school was supposed to make all the countries here feel comfortable here.

Steering clear of the British foods, I grabbed a pear and a plate of pizza, as well as a carton of chocolate milk, before locating America, Britain, and Canada at a table near the middle of the lunchroom. Predictably, America's tray was piled high with fast food burgers, and Britain's tray's contents looked... inedible. At least Canada's food was normal!

"Oooh, breakfast for lunch! Awesome!" I said as I sat my tray down next to his and slid next to him on the bench.

"'Sup, dude?" America tried to say without spraying food all over me.

"Not much," I replied. "First few classes have been fine, so far."

There was an angry shout from across the cafeteria and then something bright red and green flew across the room to hit the wall and explode into a gooey mess. A tomato?

"Oh bollocks. Not again," Britain muttered.

"Bastard, stop dodging!" The boy shouting and throwing food was Italy's brother, Romano.

Another tomato flew by aimed at Spain though he dodged it again. America and I had to duck to avoid catching it with our faces, and when America lifted his head he had an excited expression.

England recognized his intent. "No, America, don't say it!"

America grinned wickedly, standing with a burger in one hand. "Food fight!" he shouted with his free hand cupping one side of his mouth.

Then the cafeteria was in an uproar as food flew through the air like a war zone. A churro zoomed an inch from my nose, and that's when I ducked under the table for cover. America was chucking burgers left and right, with England throwing his scones around excitedly, his inhibitions out the window with a few eclairs to keep it company.

Canada has the same idea as me, although he hadn't gotten away completely food-free. Some sort of red meat sauce had splattered across the right side of his face; the right lense of his glasses was totally covered. I reached a hand up and around the table to grab the napkin off my tray, and I gave it to him to clean up with.

"You know, since everyone's a country, this is pretty funny," I said with a light little laugh. "A cute war..."

He took off his glasses and cleaned them with the napkin before attending to the side of his face. "Thanks, Malcolm."

"Sure thing, Mattie."

He looked a bit surprised that I'd called him that, for some reason, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Is it okay if I call you that?" I asked, afraid I'd offended him.

"If you want to, you can," he replied with a light smile, and I relaxed because I hadn't offended him. "It might be smarter not to do it too often, so people don't suspect you," he added.

"is it girly to call you Mattie?" I asked.

"That depends. If you act like America does then people won't think twice about it. But if you act more like, say, England, then some might think you're a bit... off."

I nodded in understanding. "Gotcha." I glanced at the side of his face and covered my laugh with a hand. "You missed a couple spots, Mattie."

"I did? Where?" Instead of telling him, I held out a hand for the napkin and crouched next to him.

"I'll get it." He gave me the partially red paper and I wiped away the gunk from his temple and jaw. "There you go, it's gone."

His cheeks were a little red when I pulled away, I noticed, but it did feel a little warm with all this excitement, so I didn't think much about it.

There you go! Please leave a review and follow/favorite my story or myself?

LOVE YOU ALL~!


	7. Chapter 7

~5th period

Because of the food fight trashing the cafeteria, most of fifth period was canceled so everyone responsible could clean the mess up. Canada and I got away without having to tidy up because we weren't throwing food.

"Serves them right," I muttered from where I sat on my bed. "That was pretty stupid to start a food fight."

"I suppose it was," Canada said, coming out of the bathroom after washing his face. He had a towel around his neck, which he was using to dry his jaw and throat with. He glanced over at me and cocked his head to one side quizzically. "Melina? You're looking kind of red in the face."

"I-I am?" I felt my cheeks with the backs of my hands, and they were warm. I chuckled nervously and slid off my bed, going to the window and throwing it open. A cool mid-October breeze blew through, helping me relax a bit.

"Is something the matter, Melina?" Matthew asked, moving behind me and pulling off the towel around his shoulders.

"No, I'm fine!" I said a bit quickly. "It was getting warm in here, is all."

'Jeez, Melina. What's your problem?' I thought to myself.

"Come on, we should get to our next class," Matthew said as he slid his glasses back on and opened the door to the hallway. I grabbed my bag and followed him to what was left of 5th period Literature. That went by quickly (for obvious reasons), as did 6th period Algebra 2 and 7th period Art. Art and Home Ec were my favorite classes by the end of the day. I did notice France giving me odd looks during both Algebra 2 and Art, like he was sizing me up or something. Of course, that renewed my fears that he suspected me of being a girl, and I had a nervous tick where my leg would bounce up and down rapidly when I was sitting down. My leg was jumping around like a frog (A/N: England: Ah, because of a frog, too. B: Hush, let's focus on the story, okay, England? England: I was only making an observation...) during dinner, which I tried to still but it just kept coming back. I don't think anyone noticed it, but I barely heard half the things America was ranting about because my own scared thoughts were drowning him out.

"And that's when I thought- Yo, Malcolm, dude! Ya listening?" America waved his hand under my nose, which was pointed down at my tray in thought.

I blinked rapidly and looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Dude, what's bugging you?" he asked with a fork in his macaroni and cheese (A/N: America not eating hamburgers? Shocker! America: ...)

"Nothing, why?" I asked around the fork in my mouth. 'Yummy fish...'

"Bro, you kidding? You've been super spacey all through dinner. Do you even know what I was talking about?"

"Um, yes?"

"What was I talking about, then?"

I hung my head for a brief moment. "Sorry, Al. I've got some things on my mind that just /won't/ shut up."

"What kind of things?" England asked. "It is only your first day, after all. Is it that bad?"

'Eeep!' "Naw, it's not much to talk about," I answered before taking another bite of salmon.

"Are you sure, dude? If you wanna talk, go ahead," Al said with a sincere expression, and I was so startled by the unfamiliarity of such kindness that I felt like I would die if I didn't tell him.

"Well, y'see... I was getting some weird looks from Francis during my last two classes, and it's sorta freaking me out," I admitted without giving my secret away.

Don't get me wrong, I felt like I could trust Alfred and Arthur with a lot of things, but Matthew found out by accident and I want as few people to know as possible. If I told more and more people, sooner or later someone would slip up and I'd be done at this school. No thank you!

"Well, you are new to this academy," Arthur said. "New students are going to intrigue the ones already going there, so you could just be overreacting."

"Haven't you ever been the new kid before?" Al asked, but I shook my head.

"No, never." Martin never actually took me to school...

"Vee~ Malcolm!" an Italian voice called, drawing nearer to me from behind.

I turned 180 degrees in my seat and waved with a small grin at the bubbly Italian. "Hey, Feliciano! What's up?"

"Would you like to come play a game of football with-a me and Doitsu?" he asked excitedly, clapping his hands together once with a hopeful expression. "You all can-a come, vee~"

"Yeah, I'd love to!" I said.

"Rock out, dude! Imma go get my helmet!" Alfred jumped up to retrieve it when Arthur grabbed him be the ear and made him sit back down. "Ow ow ow! Bro, what's your problem?"

"European football is soccer to you Americans," he said irritatedly. "Moron..."

"I knew that!" America said quickly. "I was messing with you guys, duh!"

I heard Canada snicker. "Sure you were."

The four of us dumped our trays (after stuffing our mouths with the choicest bits of food) and followed Italy outside to a grassy lawn, where there were two trees on either end that were perfect goalposts, among other trees. Germany was waiting for us with a soccer ball under one arm, and Japan sat off the "field" with a laptop in his lap, typing rapidly. There wasn't a whole lot of light left from the day, so we began to play the game right away, after picking teams.

Italy insisted on my being with him and Germany, but America thought the teams were unfair.

"Now you guys have three and it's just me and England!" he whined.

"England and I," England corrected him with a sigh.

"Guys, Canada's on your team, y'know," I said, gesturing to where America's stood.

"If you're talking about that floating bear, I don't think he'll be much help, dude," America said, jabbing his thumb sideways over his shoulder at Kumajirou.

I sighed loudly and trudged over to Canada, holding out my hand expectantly.

He looked at me in confusion. "What?"

"Mind if I see your glasses for a sec?"

"What for?" he asked almost worriedly. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the other's funny looks at me, and I stifled a giggle.

"Please?" I said. When he raised an eyebrow in response, I grabbed them by the arms and lifted them off his face. He blinked at me in surprise as I slid them on over my own eyes and faced the others, who /finally/ saw Canada. "This guy's on your team," I stated before giving back his glasses and rejoining Italy and Germany on their side.

By the time it was too dark to keep playing, Italy, Germany, and I had won 7-4, although I assure you it was almost all Italy and Germany. Japan had gone inside about halfway through the game.

"Well, that was fun!" Arthur said after we'd waved goodbye to Feliciano and Ludwig. "I hate losing, but it was fun."

"I wish we'd played actual football, man," Alfred grumbled, but I rolled my eyes and looked at Matthew. he had a happy smile on his face that made me want to smile, too. Contagious emotions...

We reached our separate dorm rooms and said goodnight to one another. I flopped on my bed, my face in my pillow and my muscles comfortably sore.

"This has been a pretty good day, wouldn't you say?" I asked my roommate after lifting my head and propping it up on my hand to look at him.

He smiled and nodded. "Definitely better than some. I'm going to be a bit sore in the morning," Matthew admitted with a stretch and a yawn, which I caught and mirrored.

"Me, too," I said before dragging myself from the bed and into the bathroom. "I call first shower."

**Thank you for not hating me and reviewing and fanning and showing much love! I appreciate it all! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, I am SO sorry for not updating in FOREVER. Shoooo I'll make up for that by posting two today! Yeah, I know, I'm that awesome *shot***

I didn't have any weird dreams that night, and school went along like normal for a couple weeks or so. I was adjusting to school lofe fairly well, in my mind. I hung out with Italy, Japan, and Germany as well as Canada, America, and Britain. France wasn't bothering me, and if he was still watching me then I didn't see it. I think the most exciting thing to happen so far, after my first day, was technically two things on the same day.

I bade farewell to Italy and Germany at the end of the day, ready to turn in after a long day of what seemed to be only difficult math problems. Math? Not to sound British, but it's not my cup of tea.

I was opening the door to the dorm building when I thought I heard something like yelling around the side of the building. My curiosity got the better of me and I moved to go around and investigate. Just before I rounded the corner, Kumajirou came around and bumped into my legs. He looked up at me with his small black eyes while I looked down at him, and he clutched my leg tightly.

"Kumajirou?" I asked in slight surprise. "What's the matter? And where's Canada?"

The polar bear wouldn't answer me, he just hugged my leg mutely, so I picked him up and hurried in the direction he had come from. Turning the corner, I saw Canada sitting on the ground while a dark-colored kid -Cuba, wasn't it?- smacked him over the head repeatedly, yelling "I hate you, America! I hate you!" Canada just sat there with tears dotting the corners of his eyes, whimpering "Maple... Leaf...!"

"Hey! What's going on here?" I shouted angrily, setting Kumajirou down before stomping over and grabbing Cuba's wrist before he could hit Canada again. "What'd Canada do to deserve you beating him up?"

"What the hell, kid! I'm beating America up! Who's this Canada guy you're talking about?" Cuba pulled his arm free and glared at me.

"_This_ is Canada, my friend! And roommate! _Why_ are you beating him up?"

"Because he's America!"

"No, he's not!"

"He is!"

"He's not!"

"He _is_!"

"He's _not_!"

"Whattaya _mean_ he's not?!"

"He just _isn't_!"

As Cuba and I shouted at each other, Kumajirou crawled onto Canada's head and asked in a tearful voice "Are you okay?"

"Y...Yes..." Canada whimpered.

Kumajirou looked right at Cuba and spoke up while we were out of breath from our shouting match. "Stop hurting Canada!" Kumajirou ordered.

Canada and I both stared at him in amazement (well, Canada tried to. It's hard to see something on top of your head).

"Kumajirou?" I said in shock. Canada beamed brightly, until Kumajirou looked back down at his owner with a familiar look of confusion.

"Who are you again?"

I anime fell and Canada dropped his face onto his knees. "You remembered! _Why_ must you forget me, Kumasanrou?"

Cuba had left, so it was just me, Canada, and Kumajirou. The amnesiatic polar bear slid down Canada's back and waddled off a ways, still in sight but mostly out of hearing range. Setting my bag of books on the ground, I got on my knees so I made a 45 degree angle with Canada.

"Are you okay, Canada? I mean, really okay?" I dropped my male voice so I could speak softly; my male voice forced me to talk in a louder voice than I would like. Otherwise, it would drop into my real voice...

"Yes, I'm fine." He wouldn't look me in the eye, though.

"I don't believe you," I said firmly. "Is this the first time he's beaten you up?"

Canada rested his chin on his crossed arms, which were on his knees. "No," he said dejectedly. "It's happened occasionally. Cuba hates America but he thinks I'm him, and I'm not strong enough to make him stop."

I shook my head. "Canada, _I_ think you could defend yourself. Have you tried to?"

"Sure, but he won't listen to me."

I put on a determined expression on. "Well, maybe he'll listen to me."

He glanced at me. "You don't have to get involved, Melina. It's okay, really."

My hands curled into angry fists on my thighs. "No, it really _isn't_ okay. You're one of my first friends _ever_. I got beat up a lot myself, so seeing my friend go through what I did pisses me off." My gaze dropped to thr ground in frony of me as my anger diminished. "I don't like seeing people get hurt, Mattie."

For a couple seconds he didn't say anything and I didn't look up, but I could imagine his expression. Then he sat on his knees, facing me, and kissed my cheek. I felt my face heat up as it shot up so I could look into his face.

"You're sweet, Melina," he said shyly, a light pink blush tinting his cheeks. Then Mattie stood and reached a hand down to help me up. I took it and rose to my feet, dusting off my bum with my free hand even though I'd sat on my legs.

"Do you really think you can get Cuba to stop beating me up?" Canada asked hopefully after he'd retrieved Kumajirou and come back to where I stood.

"Well, sure," I answered with a cocky hand on my hip. "He's beating you up because he thinks you're America, right?"

"Right."

"We just need to show him how to tell thedifference between you and America, then. Don'tcha think so?"

He smiled and nodded in agreement, then we went inside and up to our dorm. I put my bag on my desk chair and flopped onto my bed, tired from schoolwork and yelling at Cuba. Zip pounced on my back and whined loudly, like he needed to go out. Badly. I mumbled something along the lines of "too tired for this" and got up, grabbing Zip's leash from its peg by the door and clipping it to his collar. We went back outside and to the grassy lawn, a bag for Zip's leavings in my pocket. I turned Zip loose and watched him live up to his name as he searched for a place to go.

"Yoo~hoo~!" I heard a distinctively French voice call, and I turned out of curiosity.

To my surprise, France was waving in my direction from a tree up on a little hill. He beckoned for me to go to him, and after raising a quizzical eyebrow I went up the hill.

"Bonjour, mon ami," he said brightly.

"Hi, France," I greeted. "What'd you call me over for?"

"I wanted to chat, get to know each other better." As he said this he slung his arm around my shoulders, his other hand palm up like he was holding something obvious up.

"Why?" I asked as I gently pushed his arm off and crossed my arms. "Do you have a question for me or something?"

He sighed and leaned casually against the tree. "Mon ami, I've had some... suspicions... about you. You're zhe only student here without a country of origin, and I believe you to not be male. Iz zhis true?"

I gaped. 'I knew it, he's onto me! Crap!' "Of course it's not true! I'm not a girl!" I protested. "You're going to need a lot more evidence before you accuse me of something like _that_."

"If you _are_ a boy, zhen undo your shirt and prove it," he challenged with a subtly triumphant smile.

'Oh, crap!' "Uh... No way, not in front of a perverted kid who's older than me."

"I swear on my honor not to take advantage of you, mon ami."

I shook my head vehemently. "_No_. _Way_."

"your refusing makes me believe you really are a girl, _monsieur_."

I grimaced. "Look, you're being completely ridiculous, France."

"Are you a spy?"

I gave him my best 'WTH?' face."_Really_? A _spy_? Of course not!"

"Well, you _are_ acting suspicious. No one knows a thing about your past or family, and if you _are_ a country zhen which one are you?"

"I don't _know_ yet, France. I would tell you if I did, but I don't, alright? I need to figure that out on my own."

He chuckled. "Per'aps if I had proof of your gender zhen I could help you, non?"

"My _god_! I'm a guy, _okay_? How many times do I have to _tell_ you?" I was so fed up with this interrogation!

"Yo, Malcolm! Dude!" a blessedly obnoxious voice rang out, drawing nearer. America jogged up, his jacket flapping in the chilly breeze that had just picked up. "S'up, guys?"

"Well, Amerique, we were-"

"Just talking," I said, cutting France off with a glare. "And we were just done talking, so I think I'm gonna go work on my homework and go to bed." Leaving them both for a moment, I found Zip and cleaned up after him. America caught up to me and walked with me back to the dorms.

"So, dude, I've got this new horror movie that you've _gotta_ watch with me. England'll be there -y'know, 'cause we share a dorm- and you _can't_ say no." He flashed me a pair of award-winning puppy eyes, and I knew what I was going to _have_ to say the second I saw them.

"... Fine..."

Yeah, I'm a huge sucker for puppy eyes. Dammit, America...

**YAAY for uploading! And pretty soon someone else is gonna find out that Malcolm is actually Melina! The problem is, I can't say who finds out because of my own will and the government... . they're out to get me...**

**XD JUST KIDDING! So please comment, vote, add this to your library, and maybe fan, if you would? Doing all these is spreading love! SPREAD THE LOVE! ZHE AWESOME PRUSSIA COMMANDS IT!**

**Prussia: I do command it! So listen to BookBird and SPREAD THE LOVE!**

**Bookie: *Glomps Prussia* Thank you, Prussia~! 3 x3="" strong=""**

**That's all from me! Til the next chapter, which will hopefully be soon! (I sound so confident... 6_6' )**


	9. Chapter 9

America practically jumped for joy when I gave in. He dragged me to his room for the first time, and it was surprisingly... asymmetrical?

One side was neat and tidy, the bed made and clothes put away where they belong. The bedspread for that side was printed with the Union Jack, which didn't have to be there to tell me it was England's side.

America's side, however, had an unmade bed with books and papers scattered haphazardly on the floor. Some random articles of clothing lay about, as well as the occasional burger wrapper.

"It's amazing you ever have any clean clothes," I said, kicking a pair of pants closer to the bed.

"Whattaya mean?" America asked before brushing it off to search through his DVD rack for the movie.

I cleared the books and shirts off his desk chair and sat in it backwards. "What's the movie called?"

"My Killer Petting Zoo," he responded, and I almost sputtered with uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh my _god_, America!" I giggled, hugging the back of his chair to try and suppress my shaking. "My Killer _Petting_ _Zoo_? No flippin' way!"

"Yeah, dude! All the animals get possessed and they kill everybody! It's supposed to be super gory and stuff." As the DVD loaded in the player, he popped some popcorn in his air-popper-thing. While his back was turned, I straightened his bed up a bit and sat on it, finding the perfect spot to watch the TV from. America came back with two bowls of popcorn and gave one to me before starting the movie.

England came back about halfway through the movie, in time to be startled by our shrieks of terror as _another_ little kid was eviscerated (A/N: My most favoritest word EVER! It's gross but I was the only one who knew it until I told my friends it, which is why it's my favorite. America: *holds finger to my lips* SSSSHH! I'm trying to watch!) by the possessed bunny rabbits and goat.

"What the bloody hell are you two doing?" he demanded irritatedly, and my grip on my popcorn bowl loosened up a little bit.

"Scary movie," America said simply without tearing his eyes from the screen. Or his arms from their position around my shoulders.

England rolled his eyes and went over to his closet, grabbing his pjs and dressing in the bathroom while America and I continued to be frightened by the horror film.

When it was over I pried America's arms off of myself and thanked him for the movie and popcorn.

"You think we can do this again sometime soon?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure thing, dude! Night!" I waved and left, going back to my room.

Canada looked up from his book when I opened the door. "Hey, Melina. Where _were_ you all this time?"

"Well, I went out with Zip, and then France confronted me about him suspecting I'm a girl, and then America made me watch a horror movie with him." I ticked off what I'd recounted on my fingers.

Canada's eyes widened. "France suspects you? That's not good!"

"Who are you?" Kumajirou inquired of him from his lap.

"I'm Canada..." He looked back at me. "What did you do when you talked to France?"

"Erm... I tried to convince him that I wasn't a girl, but he kept telling me to prove it by taking off my shirt. I was like "No, you're a pervert" but it didn't do much." I kicked off my shoes and sat cross-legged on my bed, facing Canada.

He marked his place in his book and set it aside so he could give me his full attention. "So, then what?"

"America came by and gave me the excuse I needed to leave. That's basically it." I glanced down at my legs for a second before looking back up at my roommate. "I don't trust France with my secret, so I've got to keep it from him at all costs."

Canada nodded in agreement. "It wouldn't do you much good to avoid him, because that might just confirm his suspicions."

Zip climbed into my lap and tried to stick his head under my butt from there, making me yelp, blush a /teeny/ bit, and pull him out of my lap really fast.

"Z-Zip, don't _do_ that!" I told him, scolding, as I held him up in front of my face. He stuck his tongue out in an attempt to lick my face, but he was too far away.

"Ah-HA!" Canada said suddenly, bringing a fist into the flat palm of his other hand decisively. "I've got it!"

"Got what?" I asked, putting my dog down on the bed beside me.

"A plan to throw Francis off and make him _believe_ you're really a boy."

I smiled and leaned forward, resting an elbow on one knee and putting my chin in that hand. With my other hand I waved it in a "Go on, please continue" sort of gesture.

He blushed a little. "Well..."

Let's see who can guess what his plan is! Cookies and soda for the first person who guesses right! X3 Well, virtual cookies and soda, that is... XP

And I apologize for it's short-ness, it's a bridge into the next chapter, which WILL be longer, I promise.

Edit 5/5/2013: WOW this is shorter than I remembered. Okay, I think Imma have to post a third one today as well! *bows* Please, hold your applause, no need, haha~


	10. Chapter 10

~3rd period, the next day

As far as I could see, this plan was foolproof. I try to get hit where it would hurt if I was a boy, and then fake the pain! As an added bonus, it wouldn't really hurt all that much. As long as it wasn't America who would end up hitting me...

Canada winked at me as I was picked to join America's team in dodgeball, and I winked back. Once all the teams were picked, Canada (who wasn't officially chosen to be on a team) "joined" the opposing team and left Kumajirou on the bleachers so he could throw a ball.

'This'll work' I thought encouragingly. 'And if it doesn't we can always try again another time.'

The teacher blew the whistle and all the boys in my class ran for the colored rubber balls in the center of the gym. I dodged one thrown at me by Germany and went for a ball, but it was snatched by France and thrown at me. I dodged it just in time and ran back to the back of my team's side. I spotted Canada with a blue ball held in both hands and nodded, catching his eye. He nodded back and made his way closer to the dividing line on the floor of the court, as did I. I saw America throw a ball and take Germany out of the game, but before Canada could throw his ball at me, another came low at me from Prussia. Bending low to catch it, it slipped through my grasp and hit me exactly where I'd been hoping it would. HA! I was right! It barely hurt more than a blow to anywhere else on my body (except maybe my chest or face, I can't exclude that fact).

I crouched on the floor after giving out a loud yelp of "pain", and the teacher blew the whistle. I felt someone help me up and looked over to see Matthew holding one of my arms as he helped me stand. Walking stiffly, I sat on the lowest row of bleachers, next to Kumajirou, and held my... (Ahem cough cough, I don't have one) with a look of pain on my features.

"Son, you okay?" the teacher asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded without looking up, breathing hard. "I think you need to stay out of the game the rest of class, okay? Why don't you go dress down." Turning back to the class, he blew the whistle and the game began again.

Kumajirou put a paw on my knee. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said in a normal (male) voice, glancing at the polar bear and offering him a small, mischievous smile.

Getting up, I made my way to the boys' locker room while walking stiffly still.

Canada came in as I was getting my clothing from my locker. "I hope that did the trick."

"You and me both, chief." I turned to him and smiled. "But at least you didn't have to throw that ball."

"You think it would've been too painful to handle if I'd thrown it?" he chuckled jokingly, and I laughed too.

"Well, it didn't hurt very much at all, and I got out of PE for the rest of class, so it's a win-win situation, in my opinion. Did you see France's reaction, by chance?" I asked.

Matthew shook his head. "Not really, but your act was pretty convincing if you ask me. I'll leave you to get dressed, then." He left the dressing room and I changed out of my shorts and sneakers and into my plaid pants and everyday shoes. No one was coming, so I felt like I didn't have to change behind the curtains this time. My gym shirt was off and I was only in my bandages when a familiar American voice came around the corner. "Dude, you seemed like you were in a lot of pain. Are you oka-"

I froze and so did he when he saw that I had bandages around my chest and wasn't in pain anymore. Slowly I turned to face Alfred, who was both surprised and blushing slightly.

"D-Dude, what the hell is up with your chest?" he asked with wide blue eyes.

I smacked my face in disbelief, despair, and pity at his dense-ness. Density? That sounds weird... Whatever, that's not the point!

"Er, well... That is... You see, I uh..." I looked up to see the back of America's sneaker as he fled out of sight. Before I knew what I was doing, I was chasing after him and tackling him around his middle, landing on top of him when he fell to the floor from the momentum.

"Dude, let go! You're a frickin' CHICK!" he shouted, but I clapped a hand over his mouth abruptly.

"Please don't go screaming that out for the entire world -literally- to hear," I said. "If you would let me explain then you would understand this better, okay? So, just, let me talk." I unconsciously adopted a pleading tone to my voice, and he stopped trying to get up. I removed my hand and rolled off of his back to sit on my knees and cover my face with my hands. "This wasn't supposed to happen..."

"Malcolm -well, whatever your real name is- what is going on? You're a dudette but you didn't tell any of us? Your friends? Why?" I looked at him then, and he had a hard-to-read expression. Shock, disbelief... hurt? He's hurt that I lied to him?

"America..." I said, dropping my male voice."I'm sorry I lied to you. I didn't have any intention to, I swear! I did it for my own protection..."

"You dressed up like a boy and fooled us all to protect yourself? Why would that protect you?" He looked at me with those blue eyes that seemed to will the answer out of me. Stupid puppy eyes...

I rose to my feet and stuck out a hand to help him up. He ignored it, but I held it out still. "Melina Andrews, nice to meet you."

"That's your real name?" he asked, and I nodded.

"It's the one I've been using for the past 13, 14 years." We went back to the changing area and I threw on my shirt, leaving my jacket on the bench beside me. I started to tell my story yet again to a baffled, wide-eyed American.

"So, you're only here to escape from your dad, you're not a spy, and you still want to keep your secret so you don't get kicked out," America summarized, ticking off the items on his fingers.

"That pretty much sums it up," I replied. "So... Are you gonna blab this to anyone?" 'Please say no, please say no, please say-'

"Naw, you're still my friend, dude. And I'm glad you told me this, it explains a few things."

My eyes lit up for joy and I hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much, America! You don't know how much this means to me!" Then what else he'd said clicked. "What do you mean, 'explains a few things'? What things?" I pulled out of the embrace.

"You still kinda act a little like a girl sometimes, dude. And when you smile at someone it is kinda feminine. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"Oh... Great, that's good to know..." My face lit up when I got a sudden idea. "Maybe you could teach me!"

"Teach you what?"

"How to act more like a boy! If I get lessons from you then I'll bet my disguise would become totally un-seethrough-able!" (A/N: Wow I just love coming up with new words, don't I? America: dude that's a totally rockin' word! I'm so gonna use that! England: That's terrible grammar, BookBird. Bookie: Ah, whatever. My favorite word is still eviscerated. America: What does that even mean? England: It's when you get cut open and your guts spill onto the floor. America: 0.0 Bookie: ^.^ yup! And I was the only one who knew it! Canada: could we please get on with the story...? Bookie: Oh yeah! Right! Sorry, my bad!)

"Well, I guess I could..." America said after a moment of thought (England: *snort* that's a good one. Bookie: SHH! America: TToTT).

"Cool! And thank you, America, for helping me keep my secret. Now my little club has three members!"

America looked confused. "Your little... club? Dude, what's your club about?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not actually a club, I was just kidding about that. You, me, and Canada are now the only ones who know I'm a girl, so... Yeah..."

The other students started to trickle in and I left the changing room, America staying behind because he still had to dress down. After a little bit of waiting outside, Canada came out and I went up to him.

"Hey, Mattie? You know our little... secret?" I asked cryptically in case there were others listening.

"Um, yes?" he answered, blushing slightly as usual.

"Wellll... America might have stumbled onto it..."

"He WHAT?!" Canada exclaimed, although it wasn't any louder than my talking softly in my normal voice.

"Yeah, he walked into the locker room after you left and he saw me... without a shirt on... and now he knows. But it's okay!" I added quickly. "He promised to keep it, too. I'm still safe, I'm sure of it."

"Let's hope so..." Canada grumbled behind Kumajirou just as America sauntered over. "America, are you sure you can keep Malcolm's secret?" the Canadian asked of his brother.

"Aw, come on, bro! I'm the hero! An awesome hero like me can keep a secret, no problem!" He turned to me with a childlike twinkle in his eye. "Y'know, Malcolm, you're kinda like a superhero, too. You've got the secret identity, now all you need is a power and a costume and a kick-ass name!"

I snorted. "Ha, yeah, that's all I need."

As a group, we went to our next (and most boring) class, laughing and joking all the way.

YAAY CHAPTER TEN! Wow, ten chapters! I think I need a reward for this.

America: *offers me a burger*

Me: No, thanks, I'm good.

England: *offers me a scone*

Me: *gag* No, really, thank you but no.

Japan: *offers me pocky*

Me: 0o0 YES! *accepts pocky* Perrrrfect... *nibbles on pocky*

Chapter eleven coming soon! The Halloween episodes begin, Muwahahahahahahahahahahahaaa~! X3 WUVS~!


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